Barrel



UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

JAMES L. ALLEN, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI.

BARREL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 572,624, dated December 8, 1896.

Application filed December 26, 1895. Serial Nc. 573,320. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES L. ALLEN, of Kansas City, Jackson county, Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Barrels, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,

- forming a part hereof.

My invention relates to improvements in barrels; and the object I have in view is to produce a barrel with a central head or partition constructed in such a manner that the central head, as well as the two outer heads, shall be absolutely liquid-tight, and a still further object I have in view is to produce a barrel which shall be susceptible of containing two different kinds of pickled fruits or vegetables in its body portion without the different liquids becoming mingled through imperfect joints in the chimes of the central head or partition.

It is Well known, in the construction of barrels, tierces, rbc., capable of retaining brine or liquids of any kind, that the joints must be flagged, after the head is loosely placed in the chime, and before the last two or three outer hoops are forced in position the joints a between the staves around the chime and the outer edges of the barrel-headstand slightly open. The cooper now takes his material, known as aggingf and carefully inserts a piece at an angle of about forty-five degrees in each joint, and when the outer hoops are forced in position the barrel is liquid-tight; but to flag the joints around the chime of a central head produces the opposite result, as such ca-uses an abrupt swell or bilge on either side of the partition. To avoid this, I have provided means which I will proceed to describe with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l represents a vertical section of a barrel in the position assumed to permit of the insertion of the central head or partition. Fig. 2 represents a vertical section of a completed barrel embodying my invention. Fig. 3 represents a perspective view of the central head or partition detached from the barrel.

In the said drawings, 1 designates the body of the barrel, which is composed of staves fitted together in the customary manner to make liquid tight joints, and 2 designates the heads, which are also secured in position in the customary manner.

3 designates an annular groove turned in the barrel, and 4 designates a ring which is iitted tightlyiu said groove to hold it securely in place. Said ring is beveled inwardly, as shown at 5, preferably, and is provided internally With the groove 6, in which the head 7 is fitted so as to make an absolutely liquidtight partition. In orderto make the joint between the barrel and the ring 4 absolutely impervious to the passage of a liquid, I preferably annularly groove the outer side of the ring, as shown at 8, and fit therein the rubber gasket or ring 9, as shown clearly in the drawings, or an equivalent may be substituted for such rubber ring, such as the flagging usually employed for making watertight the joints between the staves. I prefer, however, to employ the gasket,as it will vbe very difficult to secure flagging in position to make the joint between the ring and the barrel liquid-tight. This central head or partition, of course, must be placed in position vduring the process of constructing the barrel.

As is well known, most barrels now manufactured after being set up in truss-hoops are planed to a smooth finish internally by a suitable lathe, and simultaneously with this operation the annular groove 3 may be turned in the inner side of the barrel. The barrel may then be set on end and the truss-hoops above the center removed. Immediately this is done the staves spring outwardly at their upper ends, as shown in Fig. l, sufliciently to permit of .the insertion of the central head or partition to the position shown in said figure. The staves are then sprung inwardly again, with the said head or partition fitting snugly within the groove 3. The truss-hoops are now replaced to hold the staves and said head in proper relative positions, and then the barrel isnished up in the customary manner by the insertion of the heads and the replacing of the truss-hoops by the permanent hoops 10, as shown. It will be apparent now, as the chambers at the opposite sides of the central head or partition are separated by an absolutely liquid-tight partition, that different articles or liquids may be kept in the same barrel. For instance, pickles may be kept in one end and olives in the other, or mackerel IOO may be contained in one end in brine in the customary manner and a diiferent article in the other, Without any danger of an interminture of the liquids which would injure or destroy their taste or iiavor.

It is obvious that a barrel of this character will be found exceedingly convenient, and will possess decided advantages over an ordinary single-compartment barrel, owing to the fact that the contents may be extracted from the barrel first from one end and when that is empty from the other without requiring the clerk or other person to make extraordinary exertions in order to reach the stock when it is low. In other words, the central head or partition forming the bottom of either compartment is always within convenient reach of a person standing upon the floor of the room where the barrel is located.

Vhile it is stated that different articles may be kept in the same barrel, ordinarily this will not be the case, owing to the fact that one end cann ot be opened until the other is empty.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that I have produced a double-compartment barrel which will be found of great service, and which at the same time is simple, strong, durable, and inexpensive of construction.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The combination with a barrel provided internally with a centrally-located annular groove, of a ring 4 of width to iit snugly within said groove, and having its inner sides converginginwardly, as shown at 5, and provided at the apex of said converging sides with an annular V-shaped groove 6, a head 7 iitting tightly in said groove so as to provide a central partition for the barrel, and a gasket 9, fitting in an external annular groove of the ring et, and also fitting in the annular groove of the barrel, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES L. ALLEN. lVitnesses:

M. R. REMLEY, G. Y. THoRPn. 

